♪ theme >> hello, welcome to the news hour. here are your top stories. >> the nos to the left, 285. >> the u.k. backed away from military action in syria. the u.s. is looking for support elsewhere. >> more protests in egypt as masks are closed and whole sections are cairo are sealed off. >> 23 rebels are withdrawing troops from the front line.

we report from the democratic republic of congo. >> hidden for 4 million years, details of an amazing discovery in greenland. ♪ theme >> the united states has lost britain's backing for any military intervention in syria, but it's not backing down. a possible strike still remains on the table. the obama administration is looking elsewhere for international support and france maybe a willing partner. we have our correspondent standing by in paris for more an that and we also have patty in washington for more on the u.s. direction and in london there's some friends. we'll talk to all three of them, first, we have this report. >> the day after a vote in the british parliament that will be talked about for many years,

means the prime minister's authority has been badly damaged. >> we have to listen to parliament. they made a very clear view, which it doesn't want british involvement in military action so we will proceed on that basis. >> that this hurt britains relationship with america. >> one thing george w. bush used to say about tony blare is once tony blare gave his word we are followed through with it. quite clearly, president obama and david cameron have had a number of talks and from a white house perspective, cameron will be proven to be not able to deliver. >> the specials relationship was forged in the second word war. there have been ups and downs. some got on bet than others, but it has endured through the decades. although it's a friendship the british, the junior partners always probably cared about more than the americans. >> the british parliament has

who you mill 80ed david cameron, but there are ministers in his government will worry that it has somehow diminished britain's place in the world and helped make it a less important international player. >> i spoke to one of the conservative rebels, an m.p. who voted against british military involvement in syria. >> britain is still an economic power, but our state is relative to other countries around the world sadly diminishing all the time. as the world's economy rebalances towards former developing countries in asia, africa, south america, actually some other countries now should step up to the plate and see if they can't take on some of the responsibilities that the u.k. and u.s. have borne for so long. >> the british have agonized over their decline for a long time. it will be events in syria that

show us before the british missed an opportunity to help make the world a safer place or were very wise to not get involved. >> in london, we saw that no vote, tim, by the parliament over the u.k., i'm just wondering if there's any room for cameron to maneuver should the situation change, should the u.s. decide that it wants to strike militarily. >> well, it's over now in terms of the possibility of any british military involvement in syria. the vote in the house behind me here on thursday night was emphatic. there was one last possibility that dated cameron, the prime minister could have chosen and that would be to take the royal prerogative to simply act despite what parliament decided, and become involved militarily, but i think that vote was so emphatic that he would have been playing with fire, and i think

the possibility of a challenge to his leadership if he'd gone down that route would have been great. he was quickly asked by the opposition leader for an assurance that he would not go down to route and he isn't going to, but as you hint, if things change on the ground, if there are reports of fresh atrocities, it's quite possible that m.p.'s could be asked in if they want or think that britain should become involved militarily. for now, the vote is decisive. >> so why is it, tim, that we saw a no in parliament? >> the shadow of iraq has hung over this whole episode. just a few days ago, david cameron and this is why it's been so embarrassing for him looked as though he could deliver the kind of european solidarity that obama would have liked. in just the same way that tony

blare delivered for george bush, that didn't happen. i think it was precisely because of that previous episode that many m.p.'s when they stood up on thursday night here and spoke and gave the reasons why they would be voting the way they were going to said, indicated that they felt sheet been do thatted last time round by dodgy intelligence, being hustled into a premature decision that they lived to regret. i think that is mainly the reason why they decided that they would not go down that route again. the evidence wasn't there and they weren't prepared to jump. >> ok, tim, thank you. that's tim franz reporting from london. patty is in washington. wondering whether that no vote in parliament in london has affected the americans in private at least and whether it will impact obama's decision. >> well, administration officials are still saying that

the president is prepared to go it alone, but remember, he told the american people that he was going to build an international coalition. it makes it a much tougher sell, not only losing the support of the british, but also germany and also canada. it makes it more difficult for him in another way. about 200 lawmakers have sent letters to the white house saying the president needs approval before launching any sort of military strike. now we are starting to hear from members saying wait a minute, if the british parliament gets a vote, we should, too, so that could increase the pressure there and the american public is behind that. a brand new pole says 80% of americans, 80% want the president to ask congress's permission. the white house has given no indication that it is going to take that route. it would be a tough vote, because congress tends to vote the way of the american people and 50% of americans don't want to get involved. >> we expect evidence today coming out of syria, but

officials down playing any conclusiveness. >> they are. the white house promises they would give us the evidence by the end of the week. when the president talked about military involvement or u.s. involvement, he said they would first have to establish the chain of custody. we don't believe that they are able to do that in this new report, so now what we're hearing from administration officials is that assad controls the weapons, he should have control of the weapons, therefore president assad is responsible. now members of congress were briefed thursday evening. we believe we're going to hear the same information, but basically, they're starting to say what they have is an intercepted phone call between a high ranking syrian official and some evidence of the syrian military moving chemical weapons into the area. it's important tomorrow u.s. officials including the president, secretary of state say they have very definite proof that the assad government is behind the attack, very little doubt, they said. we'll see if their evidence backs them up today. >> thank you for the time being.

jacki rollins is over in paris. will the decision in the u.k. affect france's way forward when it comes to syria? >> france is in pretty much the same position as the united states, in that there's a president here and he has the authority under the constitution to engage french military forces in a war oversea he is, the kind of short operation that seems to be on the table here without need to go get prior approval from the parliament, so a very different constitutional set up than is the case in the united kingdom. that decision is still being weighed. friday, the president said he would be having an in depth conversation during barack obama during the course of the day about decision making process, but certainly the president's language seems to be hardening

again. he said that the international community cannot and must not allow this apparent chemical attack by the assad regime to go unpunished. he said there wasn't a u.n. security council resolution, another coalition, if you like a coalition of the willing, could come together. he said the key question was how many countries in the world actually have the capacity, the military capabilities to take part in that kind of action. he said france is one of the few. he underlined that france was ready, and he said that he would take the decision at the appropriate time. >> all right, jacki, thank you. reporting from paris. >> the syria conflict has destablized neighboring country, and there are fierce that the region could erupt in more violence. the syrian government has vowed to defend itself. it still that powerful allies.

>> syrian's president bashar al assad has supporters here, in lebanon and across the region and knows he can count on them. hezbollah is fighting alongside the regime and iran has warned the united states to stay out of the conflict. if not, they've threatened to retaliate against israel. >> many say that is not an empty threat, if the survival of the bashar al assad regime is in question. the war in syria threatens to escalate beyond its borders. it is a warning the syrian president made in 2011. syria, he said is a fault line. when you play with it, there could be an earthquake that would affect the entire region. >> that region includes israel, where people crowded distribution centers for gas masks. the israeli government deployed missile defenses in possibility

for a syrian attack. in jordan, people are afraid, even though the government has said it will not allow its territory to be used to launch attacks against syria. syrian state media accused the jordanian government of participating in a u.s. led aggression. >> things can be resolved without a military strike, because it will have consequences to the arab people and neighbors don't need. >> the syrian foreign minister issued a threat, saying the country hasn't attacked jordan in the past two and a half years and it would be a shame if that had to change. >> a divided arab league has not publicly stated a position on the strikes. egypt was more blunt. it said it wouldn't support military action and people there seem to have little appetite for any action by the west. >> this is part of america's

plan to divide the middle east. it started with iraq and now syria. this is in israel's interest. >> an american intervention is a flagrant interference. it happened in iraq, it might happen in syria and maybe egypt. >> the syrian leadership promises to defend itself. it didn't say how, but those have warned what assad what repeatedly said. the fire in syria won't stop at its borders. >> thousands of people continue to leave syria to find refuge in neighboring countries, many fleeing to iraq. aid agencies are struggling to deal with the in flux. it is believed many are as herian kurds. we will go live to our correspondent later in the show. just a reminder that you can keep up to date with all the latest news on our website when it comes to syria at aljazeera.com.

you'll find special features and a live blog. >> accusations that soldiers have raped and abused victims of famine in somalia. we'll have the government's reaction in just a moment. >> more planes, better service. we take a look at algeria's plans to update its fleet. >> a nfl million dollar playout for brain injuries. we'll hear from one. >> no matter what, my three children will be able to go on to college and get their education. >> there are protests in several parts of the country after egypt urged supporters to take to the streets. you're looking at demonstrations

taking place. there are rallies in several cities, including cairo. these late evident pictures show a rally in upper egypt. neighborhoods around mosques have been sealed off by security forces. there are reports that entrances to the capitol city have been closed off. there are also protests in several places across egypt, including cairo and one of its suburbs. mike hanna is live following the protests. these reports, mike, of roads being sealed off and closed off. >> yes, indeed. in cairo, in particular, many areas i saw in the course of the morning, huge areas around mosques were completely cordoned off. also, barbed wire strung across major roads. the intention of this becoming clearer as the day wears on. we are seeing a large number of

protests, but all geographically contained. the strategy is to keep the protests taking plagues within neighborhoods to prevent them from coming together in one joint mass demonstration of public dissent. this would appear to have been the strategy within cairo, probably repeated in other parts of egypt, too. we have received reports that there has been violence in various parts of egypt in at least three of the governorrants. we are told there have been clashes between those calling for the reintroduction of the morsi government and those who support the interim government and military that put it into place. we understand there have been several injuries, no confirmation as to that from the health minute city. these protests are not annual taking place in the major cities, but in many parts of cairo on this day. >> is this sort of citizen on

citizen violence worrying? is there a fear that it could escalate? >> well, we have seen it repeatedly in recent days, and of course, it is the great concern to many. however, there are those within the anti coup alliance who want mohamed morsi back in power and see it as infiltrating popular protests with undercover agents who they have not spark off a dissent in particular areas. that is a play made by some groups within the anti coupe alliance. what we see in favor of the incident rim government are neighborhoods that are opposed. we have seen the situation repeating itself where civilians are fighting civilians because of their differing political beliefs. this is something that is a great concern. it extends the conflict, all the

potential confrontation from beyond security forces and protestors to protestors and counter protestors, which just truly complicates an already tenuous situation. >> it sounds like it does. mike, speaking of security forces, what sort of -- what is security doing right now to contain these protestors? >> well, at this stage in the day, the vast majority of these protests as far as we can see have been very peaceful, which they have been in recent days. remembering that each day, there have been small sporadic protests taking place in various parts of cairo and egypt, particularly when the curfew time nears, many people in particular areas in tent on demonstrating audiphones of the curfew and demonstrating their defiance of the military who appointed that government. all of them do appear to be

contained within search areas. the military and the police to this point have stayed back from the particular points of protest, largely, it would appear, however where we did have reports of gunshots fired in the air with, that was at one of the points where they had a checkpoint, where they had blocked off a neighborhood and where people attempted to get through the check point. shots were fired into the air to push them back. the repeated statement from the interior ministry, any who attacks a security force member or public building or institution will be met with the utmost force, including, if necessary, the use of live ammunition. so certainly, there would be a reluctance among many to attempt to breach those particular barricades. >> ok, mike, thank you. that's my kind of reporting from our cairo bureau. >> authorities in egypt arrested an al jazeera team reporting in

cairo. they have been held since tuesday, and two other journalists working for our sister channels have also been detained for self weeks. aljazeera is urging egyptian to release our colleagues unconditionally. we have had our signal jammed, and journalists locked out of the office. a broadcast under the same company license as the english and arabic channels. >> in sow mail i can't, rape is common place in refugee camps. many results go unreported, because victims fear stigma, as well as reprize also. there were 800 reported cases of sexual violence in pogadishu as

well. >> these are brave women. they receive legal advice. the somali women are offered therapy and medical treatment. it's the weakest members of society who bear the brunt of these kinds of attacks. this blind woman was raped a few weeks ago. >> a man hit me with a flashlight in the face. he pressed on my forehead and ordered me not to make any noise. after he raped me. he kicked me in the ribs. >> this mother of five was shot in both arms when fighting her attacker. >> he wanted to rape me in front of my children. i tried to snatch the gun from him, but he overpowered me and then shot me in both arms before fleeing. >> most incidents of rape happen in camps like this one with people displaced from other

parts of the country, poor, helpless and far away from areas where they would have protection, they are exposed. >> human rights workers say the abuse often takes place at the hands of armed grooms. in a case causing widespread anger, a young mauricely had brutal violations. she told local media that she was taken on the street, blindfold would and forced into a car before being handed over to the peacekeepers, where she say she was repeatedly raped. it's a claim that is denied. >> that's a foolish thing. i cannot believe our soldiers could do such a thing. >> every soldier coming to this ground know what he has to do as far as human rights is concerned. >> but the somali government,

often criticized for action against this type of crime say it was deeply troubled by the alleged rape by peacekeepers. >> we moved as soon as we got the information. we created two commissions, a ministerial one and technical one to investigate the matter. we are waiting for the outcome of the inquiry. >> the government quietness is not helping here. there must be an acknowledgment that there is a problem. >> 23 rebels in the democratic republic of congo say we are going to withdraw their troops from the front line. they fought with the rebels since they broke away from the army trying to take control of the country this year. u.n. peacekeepers have a large presence in the country.

>> we've got confirmation of the withdrawal from the civilian president of the m23 rebel group. >> he says they are withdrawing. he doesn't say because they suffered casualties. he said it's to allow independent verifiers to come into the front line area to verify when shells have been fired from, shells that recently landed on the city of doma here in congo. the army say the reason they are pulling back is because they've suffered very heavy losses. just in the last nine days, there's been a lot of heavy fighting between the army and rebels, but for the first time ever, the u.n. peace keepers have engaged and fought with the congolese army. that seems to have current the table and maybe why m23 are now pulling back. >> let's get you a check on the

weather with richard. >> thanks, doreen. for many parts of central africa, we're at the peek of the rainy season. we reported on flooding in sudan, chad and marlee seems to be taking the brunt of the really heavy rain at the moment. i suspect there is much more coming in a short space of time. you normally expect 300 millimeters of rain during august. the flooding, there are our fears that the death toll could rise closer to 50. mud wall homes were washed away by the force of the rain. that is a hazard at this time of the year in this part of the world. it appears there was heavier rain reported further to the west, about 127-millimeters of rain. the fact was to suggest that much of marlee could see pretty

heavy downpours. the same goes for areas across the can't tent. you could find further heavy showers through the course of the weekend. >> a suicide bombing in afghanistan has as i would a district governor and at least seven others. the attack happened as a mosque in a northern province. he was at a funeral for a tribal elder who had died a day before. >> the rupee's biggest fall has come to a shock. >> turkey suffered a currency

drop in august. >> mexican police have made an important arrest in their fight against drugs. a former police officer is accused of being a senior figure in the sinaloa cartel. he is expected to have set up the arms wing of the cartel. we have details from mexico city. >> mexican out authorized said it took seven months to track down 35-year-old mario nunez, said to be the man who set up the armed wing of the feared sinaloa cartel. nunez first worked for the rival group, the juarez cartel. he is said to be responsible for the deaths of at least 350 people found in 23 separate graves in the northwestern state of di durango.

he could get 40 years in prison if he's found guilty. this is certainly good news, his capture for the president, who is due to give his first state of the union message in just a few days. >> more and more syrians are now fleeing the country. we'll take you live to northern iraq where many of ending up. >> i'm tom ackermann in texas where oil is help to go fuel america's economic recovery. >> we'll have all the action in sports. but should you be made aware if you are consuming them. that's next on "consider this."

>> welcome back. britain will not back any military intervention in syria. germany has also ruled itself out, but france maybe willing to play a a role. the united states is not backing down ands it will continue to build international support for action in the country. >> protests are happening in egypt, despite government security forces closing masks and shutting off parts of cairo, supporters were urged to take to the streets. back to our top story, syria. i'm joined from syria.

good to have you with us. what is your reaction to the no vote coming out of the u.k. parliament? >> well, we obviously are very pleased that parliament takes a stand on an issue like this. we have been calling for a very long time for political dialogue. we don't think that a military solution is at all possible in this conflict, and therefore, give more time for political dialogues to find a peaceful solution. >> do you think that this is in fact the end of a military strike on syria? do you feel that the prime minister david cameron has sort of left himself any room to maneuver should the situation escalate, she the u.s. insist that it wants to strike militarily? >> i think the prime minister at the end of the vote made it very clear that he will abide by the outcome of the vote.

i think that if there is going to be a vote or further consideration of this in the u.k., it will have to go through parliament again. i think also that what they are saying is at the very minimum, we would like to see the outcome of the inspection done by the u.n. inspectors and then we'll to have wait and see. >> do you agree with the u.n. secretary who said that action on humanitarian grounds without the backing of the security council would be legitimate, and that is a call in fact that's being echoed, that humanitarian action can be taken, seeing the deteriorating situation in syria? >> i work for an organization that abhors violence and wars and we've been fighting it with

whatever means we can. we believe that you don't achieve much by, you don't even buy time by it. what you do have to do is negotiate. you of to negotiate seriously. i've heard talk for the last two years about military solutions, options and fighting. i've heard precious little about political dialogue. i'd like to hear a lot more about that. >> what would you like to hear going forward? how do you see this political solution playing out when it comes to syria? >> i think there is no doubt in syria as in many our countries going through serious conflict that there ha has to be a systef governance put in place where all parts of society take part. that is what a good democratic parliament should do. in syria, there is a need to examine with all the parties, how can they together set up and eelect a parliament, what powers can they give it to make sure

that all these components of society are taking part in governing the country in the future. we have started conversations with various parties, including in syria on that and we believe that there's a lot more that can be done to advance that. >> all right, thank you very much. that's andrews johnson speaking to us from geneva. thank you. >> thousands of people are leaving syria. many have led into northern iraq where they are struggling to deal with the influx. what are they telling you in iran about a possible military strike in their country? >> well, it has to be said there's a lot of confusion here as to what a potential military strike does mean. many people are optimistic that it means they will be able to go home, believing it will topple

bashar al assad. people are saying why did it take the west so long to act. their situation has been in blight for so long that they actually are annoyed and angry. i spoke to some who said why has it taken so long? why has it taken two years and nearly over 100,000 people dead for the west to want to act. there's a lot of misunderstanding about what is going on and a approximate tone she will military strike will mean. many are helpful it will bring the war to an end. that's unlikely. >> how are aid agencies coping in iran with the amount of refugees crossing daily and with a possible influx should the situation continue to deteriorate. >> there are refugee camps in many countries and many have put stations on their borders to

deal with a mass influx as a result of any military action. the kurdistan government will give the aid agency as much as they can to help. the aid agency is short of funding not just here but globally. a lot of the camps aren't fund the properly. most of funded between yea to 85%. this camp at the moment as we're showing you again, actually, is funded around about 75%. they are still building it. they have brought in water coolers, and they've put in showers and toilets, but it's still nowhere near what they need. this was 10,000 people when i first arrived here 10 days ago. it's now got to sip thousand people and we haven't seen the kinds of influx of refugees that will come if there is a potential military action. that's really worrying for aid agencies.

they are up to capacity at the moment. if there are more refugees, they will need help. >> recent riots in the czech republic have highlighted growing anti roma sentiment. they're a tiny minority, around 13,000 in a country of 10 million but have recently been targeted. >> it's a scene repeated in capitol cities around the world. they are changing the guard in prague. the tourists get the picture postcard view. it's a picture that tells only part of the story. there are stressors and strains in czech society as there are elsewhere in europe as economies struggle. recent riots here also have strong racial overtones. they began as protests against the roma minority.

the short taxi ride to the suburbs, a trip very few tourists take show an example of where the problem lice. 13 families live here. most households have no one who works. one man trying to change that told me they have to break a jobless culture passed from one generation to another. they live behind high fences and walls. >> this is because of the high frequency of traffic on the road, but this is not the only reason. there are security reasons. if the members of the workers parties or the local nazis come, this is our defense. >> as in most central european countries, there's been a strong anti roma feeling here. many worry that is not just coming from the extreme right. many in the mainstream are taking part in the protests or

supporting them. the opinion on the sheets is sharply divided. one founder of the right wing workers parties said czechs and roma's can't live together. >> it is problem take, because the gypsies refuse to integrate. the czech republic laws protect the minorities. >> the ability of the nation to live in harmony may be tested by further protests planned for the next few weeks. aljazeera, prague. >> a mexican judge has apologized for attacking two fellow justices in courts. he lashed out during a court session. the judge became angry after one of his colleagues accused fall

cone of insulting him. the head of the state appeals court said he had brought shame upon the court and could face impeachment. >> people in texas are seeing the benefits of living in a state where business is booming. much of the world is still seeing a lowdown. we have more from texas, the number one oil and gas producing state. >> it's mid-day in the once sleepy center of nixon, texas, this was a quiet farming town, now a cross road of the oil and gas boom. that boom has been good for the family restaurant run by daisy. she's one of many drawn to an area where spanish is heard nearly as often as english. >> we've benefited, because we have a lot of oil companies and they've helped us, as well as other businesses in knicks so

that. a lot of people are moving here from all over texas. >> it's been more than a century since texas saw its first oil gusher making america the world the leading producer before eclipsed by the middle east. with new technology, the deep shale oil and gas deposits are worked as never before. >> if it were considered an independent nation, texas would range behind kuwait and venezuela on the global list of oil producing states. >> it's a big reason texas was able to escape the worst of the great recession. while u.s. grabs grew by 1% in the last five years, the oil and gas industry increased by 40%. those paychecks are nourishing the local economy in one of the historically poorest regions of the country. >> all of a sudden, you're seeing jobs in south texas that

are averaging $70,000, $80,000 a year, plus benefits and the region just has not seen that kind of multiplier effect. it will change south texas. >> after previous oil booms, texas has gone through busts, but as america's thirst for fossil fuel gross and crude oil prices stay firm, people here expect a long ride. aljazeera, nixon, texas. >> still to come, a long hidden secret of our planet is discovered buried under kilometers of ice in greenland. >> tiger woods looks to have that i can that off his back problems. we have all the details in sports. saudi arabia for that. ♪

>> nigeria wants to become africa's aviation hub. as the number of passengers raises, so does too the amount of investment. >> we are about to take off from nigeria's capitol to the commercial hub. this is one of 500 flights that will fly through the skies daily. there are not enough pilot flights or aviation services to meet the demands for air travel in africa's most populace nation. planes are almost always full with 10 million people flying through the countries 22

airports each year. that number is set to increase to 50 million over the next decade. there's a race to improve capacity and services across the board. it's being led by nigeria's aviation minister. >> we want to accomplish at the end of the day is to have nigeria become the natural hub for the region, and then extend it for the continent. >> these air traffic controllers are benefiting from a plan to train nationals for aviation jobs. the countries airports are being given a multi-dollar face lift >> i'm trying to make it impossible for you to remember that there used to be a country called nigeria where you have

conveyor belts that doesn't work, that toilets, you will be afraid to step into, all these are things of the past. >> we asked passengers arriving from paris about their experience. >> fantastic. i had some foreigners when we landed and they marveled that this could happen in nigeria. >> some passengers say they've yet to feel the improvements being made in the aviation sector. >> it's been a little chaotic. i think if there had been more organization in terms of our departures, arrivals, custom checks and so forth. >> there are other problems, like frequent --

military, to contain whatever protests there are in defined areas and prevent the various demonstrations from linking together in one mass expression of public dissent. the express warning from the minister of interior, any action

against security personnel will be melt with the utmost force. few are likely to be willing to attempt to breach these barriers. >> let's speak to one of our correspondents, on the phone to us, joining us. what's happening wherer, monica? >> sorry? >> monica? all right. i apologize for that connection with monica. we'll try and get her back on the phone to tell us what is happening where she is and where there is a protest taking place. meanwhile, the national salvation front spoke to us. >> what's going on in cairo is ok, demonstration, protests that are very peaceful and we hope they will continue in the peaceful movement. the presence of the security is

that, a few moments ago, we have witnessed some incidents that we feel sorry about. people who are just trying to fire, again, at the police station. we hope the demonstration will go peacefully. we don't accept any violence. let me say that it's not a coupe. the people are not going to do a coupe. the people say we want egypt to be free and independent and to behave in a certain way, so the people are saying its word. after that, we have the roadmap that is quite clear. we need to follow it and commit ourselves to this roadmap. we welcome any faction to join the people. >> so that was from the national

salvation front, speaking to me a little earlier on. these are the live pictures right now we are seeing. you can see a few looks like a couple of hundred protestors from this vantage point here out on the streets demonstrating, so that's the scene. to take a look at what's happening, these are the live pictures we're getting. i do apologize for the quality of those pictures, but that is what we are getting right now. protestors as we're seeing in parts of cairo, supporters are urged to take to the streets. we are hearing of the rallies in several cities, include be cairo, neighborhoods around

mosques sealed off by security forces. entrances to the capitol city have been closed off. that is what is going on in egypt right now. >> let's just move away from egypt for just a second and bring you some other news. with the add vent of satellite injury, it seems every inch of the earth's surface has been mapped out, but skype activities in greenland have come upon an exciting new discovery that predates human life. >> the far north covered in white for the past few million years, the ice sheet of green land seems has been hiding a secret, a vast canyon, the planet's longest, in fact, gone unnoticed until now. while using ice penetrating radar to measure the thickness of ice in green land, scientists discovered the existence of a

canyon. it starts from the center of the island, seen here in brown, denoting an area of lowellvasion, carving a deep scar, it meanders its way north like a winding channel to a fee-year-old. it's not known exactly where it peters out. >> based on available data, the great gorge stretches for at least 750 kilometers. that's significantly longer than the grand canyon in the united states, which is 446 kilometers long, but it's deepest point is just about 800 meters, half that of the grand canyon. this discovery has never been seen by human eyes and perhaps never well. it's believed to have been formed before the ice sheet blanketed greenland before human existence. today, it's intoo maned under

two kilometers of ice. should that melt, it will race global sea levels enough to inundate many cities. a hidden valley that is perhaps best kept hidden. aljazeera. >> before we go, let's update you once again on the egypt situation. we bring in our correspondent joining us. what's happening where you are? >> i don't know if you can hear me, but we're in a very large protest here. we're in the middle of a very large protest here. there's thousands of people. it's very interesting, because they were going to join a second protest, everybody here was telling us that we were meant to join a similarly large protest, but now the crowd has shifted course and started heading another way. they were in front of the

presidential palace moments ago. we understand that because of a very, very high military presence there in front of the presidential palace that we are going to another place. we are moving alongside with them and reporting for the strategy of the protestors, which is basically just to keep moving. there's cars behind them, people honking horns. it's lively and the atmosphere is quite peaceful as of now. >> you say it's peaceful. is there a sense that it might escalate? >> not be absolutely not, and we've been reporting the situation is pretty tense. it's very organized. >> monica, i'll have to leave it there with you for now, but we will be coming back to you in a couple of minutes. just coming to the top of the hour right here.

we're back in just a few moments with an update for you from egypt as well as the day's other top stairs. polls. other big changes they've taken away pre-registration period from folks before the voting, an also short ened th the early voting time, and for folks just under 18 they've taken away pre-voting registration as well. there are some 300 people here today. and they feel that it

0's >> welcome to aljazeera. here are the stories we are following. president obama hasn't made any decision about the timing or scope of a possible military strike against syria according to a congressman who listened in on the briefing last night. the president is trying to put a coalition together. >> in egypt, one policeman was killed and three injured in an attack at a check point in the suburb of cairo. police have closed entrances into the city. this as protests in support of ousted president mohamed morsi are taking course across the country. roads and neighborhoods are blocked near mos